Biological Treatment of Trichloroethylene in Packed-Bed Reactor

Shin, HangSik; Lim, Jae-Lim

Environmental Engineering Research 1996;1(1): 55-62.

Dept. of Civil Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1 Kusong-dong Yusong-Gu Taejon, 305-701, Korea

Corresponding Author: HangSik Shin ,

Received: February 28, 1996; Accepted: March 11, 1996.

ABSTRACT

Trichloroethylene(TCE), a suspected carcinogen, is highly resistant to biodegradation in con¬ventional biological treatment systems. The feasibility of cometabolic degradation of TCE by mixed culture ob¬tained from activated sludge plant was investigated in the batch test. Then, three packed-bed reactors filled with GAC, Celite, and Ceramic bead were operated for 285 days in continuous mode. It was observed that the microorganisms utilizing phenol as a carbon and energy source were able to degrade TCE, but phenol degrada¬tion was significantly inhibited by increased TCE concentration. Both TCE and phenol were removed most effec¬tively in GAC packed-bed reactor, degrading over 80 % of 9 mg/£ TCE. High concentration of phenol inhibited TCE degradation in both the Celite and the Ceramic bead reactors. When influent phenol was reduced to 50 mg/£ , TCE removal efficiencies increased to about 85 % in both reactors.